All Treats, No Tricks

We have all had to drastically change our lives due to COVID-19. Some of the things that have become the norm for our children these days include remote learning, distanced birthday parties and masked sports. Kids are resilient and open to change. But if we have to tell them they won’t be getting candy on Halloween, that may just be a bridge too far. 

Even if kids can’t go trick-or-treating this year, here are some fun ideas for getting candy to your kids - whether they get to eat it all or not is up to you. 

Grab ’n Go
A fun and easy way to get candy fast is with a piñata. Miranda Hagee is planning to fill piñata and let her kids take turns hitting and grabbing the falling sweets. It’s like reverse trick-or-treating!

Another idea is to tape small packs of candy to skewers or chopsticks, and “plant” them in the grass for kids to “pick.” This gets them outside and lets them pick what they want in their real-life “Candyland.” 

You can also create a candy “order form” for your kids, where they check off one chocolate, one fruity and one candy on a stick, and then you deliver on their order. 

In the Mix

Ezra Teichman tried new candies sent from his relatives in California.

Families can incorporate candy in homemade treats. Chopped-up chocolate bars and colored shell coated candies are great mixed in or sprinkled onto brownie batter. Peanut butter cookies are a great way to incorporate chocolate kisses or any chocolate candy pieces.

You can also ask family members, or your usual Halloween crew, for their favorite candies and treats, and buy them for your kids to try out. Picking a theme like chocolatey, fruity or international candies makes it fun. My son, Ezra, loved trying movie-themed treats picked by his family members who live in California. Nestle Dibs were a big hit. Hot Tamales were not! 

Decorating a Halloween gingerbread house has become a new trend as well. Rebecca Lindenbaum had fun decorating one with her son Jonah, age 4. They topped the store-bought set with frosting, jelly beans and edible bones. 

Isabella Rubenstein decorated her gingerbread house with lots of candy corn.

Last year, Amanda Rubenstein took her eight-year-old daughter Isabella to Williams Sonoma to make a Halloween gingerbread house. This year due to Covid, they plan to recreate the same project at home, with candies of their choice.  

Getting the Message 
It has become a tradition to “Boo” other families by leaving treats for them outside of their front doors. This year, a good idea would be to “Boo” your own kids by leaving a little bag of goodies outside their bedroom door or the front door. Julian Clark and his two-year-old sister Myles loved finding surprise bags of treats at their front door this year! 

You can give your kids full-size candy bars to create a message on a piece of cardboard. They can use the bars for fun words and fill in the rest with their own writing. All that is needed is cardboard, candy, tape and a marker. 

Myles Clark found a sweet surprise outside her front door.

An example would be: 

Dear “Mr. Goodbar,” 
I hope you “Skor” on candy this Halloween. Hope you find something with “Crunch” and that one you like, “Whatchamacallit?”
Love & “Twix”es,
Your “Kit-Kat”s

No matter what, this Halloween will be a memorable one. But whatever we can do to make the day “sweeter” for the kids, the better.